Category: The Gauntlet: Podcast

The mystery continues on Episode 02 of Monster of the Week: The Lombardi School! I love the jazzy, noir-ish vibe of this series so far. From a GM standpoint, mystery games are my jam, and so I’m really happy where this one is headed. Also, a clean, lovely edit from Tom McGrenery. Enjoy!

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/monster-of-the-week-the-lombardi-school-02

I’ve gotten some feedback about the format change of The Gauntlet Podcast that makes me think I should clear up a few things. First, we’re not switching up the format because of some sort of “decline” or lack of listenership.

Let me be perfectly clear here: the show has never been more popular.

Second, the format change is not so that I, personally, am freed up to pursue other things. In fact, the new way we’re doing the show requires even more of my attention, but just in a slightly different way.

Long-time listeners know we have routinely switched-up the format of the show. Our listenership numbers have very little effect on those decisions. If the raw number of listeners was important to what we do on The Gauntlet Podcast, we would only cover Dungeons & Dragons.

Having said all that, I really hope everyone enjoys the new version of The Gauntlet Podcast. Last year’s version of the show was mostly predicated on the idea that the Gauntlet is a place to play games, and so the show was all about the joy of play. This year, I’m interested in expanding the number of voices associated with the community. The Gauntlet has grown in lots of different ways, and I simply want the podcast to be a better reflection of that.

The Gauntlet Podcast is back! Episode 84 is the first to feature our new regular host, Kate Bullock! She’s going to be organizing a monthly series of topic-focused round tables, and this is the first of that series.

This month we’re joined by Stephen Dewey (of Ten Candles fame) to talk about how to facilitate emotional play. The conversation is terrific, and filled with plenty of steps you can take right away to create a more emotional experience at the table. The dynamic between the three of us is really cool here, because Kate & I approach the topic from the perspective of community organizers who also happen to run a lot of games, and Stephen comes at it from the angle of game design. The end result is a focused, yet comprehensive, discussion. I think you’re going to like it a lot.

Be sure to leave us some feedback in the comments. We want to know what you think about this topic-focused format. Also: this is only one type of episode we will do each month. We’ll also do the gameplay recaps we’re well known for, as well as some new 1-on-1 interviews. The idea this year for the podcast is to broaden our scope a bit, and to increase the number of voices associated with the Gauntlet.

Enjoy!

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/the-gauntlet-podcast/episode-84-facilitating-emotional-play

Episode 05 of Dungeon World: Domenico Castafiel is here! This was an extremely fun episode to record. David and I paint a picture of the Black Nest I think you’re going to really love.

Enjoy!

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/dungeon-world-domenico-castafiel-05

We have lots of Comic Strip AP coming out over the next few days, and we’re going to start with a brand-new AP featuring myself and Tom McGrenery. This one is Monster of the Week by Michael Sands, and features the story of Robert Larousse, a retired cat burglar investigating the mystery of a missing relic in Rome.

Enjoy! And re-share! And let us know what you think!

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/monster-of-the-week-the-lombardi-school-01

Discern Realities is back! Episode 37 is packed with good stuff, including a terrific discussion about facilitating emotional play in Dungeon World and a big surprise in the AP.

A reminder: our CC contest is going until midnight on the 15th. You can send your entries to gauntletpodcast@gmail.com.

Cc: David Guyll Melissa Fisher Maxime Lacoste Daniel Fowler Slade Stolar

Enjoy!

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/discern-realities/episode-37

There are now six episodes available in Tim B and Noah Jay-Bonn’s Comic Strip AP of the classic story game Dogs in the Vineyard by Vincent Baker.

I have played loads of Dogs in my time, and so when Tim and Noah said that’s the game they wanted to run for Comic Strip AP, I was slightly skeptical. Dogs is a pretty tough game to translate to an audio format because of the dice handling, and I wasn’t sure the complex social dynamics of good Dogs play would work in a 1v1 format.

I’m happy to report I was wrong. In addition to the really sharp RP, and careful, subtle storytelling, Tim and Noah have also innovated in the format in ways I hope inspire future participants of Comic Strip AP. For starters, they’ve solved the dice handling issue by making it tied to a particular musical cue, which is very fucking clever and works quite well. While listening, you know the mechanics are being engaged in those moments, but you’re able to focus entirely on the story. It’s sublime.

Another thing they do is they switch protagonists (and who is the GM) every two episodes. Again, this is really smart for the format. It allows them to efficiently explore a number of different towns and themes, while maintaining the intimate feeling of the comic strip style.

Anyway, I have really grown to love these characters. I hope you’ll check this out when you get a chance. Here are the links:

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/dogs-in-the-vineyard-01

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/dogs-in-the-vineyard-02

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/dogs-in-the-vineyard-03

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/dogs-in-the-vineyard-04

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/dogs-in-the-vineyard-05

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/comic-strip-ap/dogs-in-the-vineyard-06